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Shinjiro Otani
Shinjiro Otani (大谷晋二郎, born July 21, 1972) is a Japanese professional wrestler contracted to Pro Wrestling ZERO1. Otani is also the acting President of the company. Career New Japan Pro Wrestling (1992–2001) Otani was the first WCW World Cruiserweight Champion, defeating Wild Pegasus in a tournament final to be crowned champion on March 20, 1996. This was the start of his push as a legitimate junior heavyweight contender. Over the years, Otani earned the J-Crown and was also part of the first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions with Tatsuhito Takaiwa. In 2000, New Japan booker Riki Choshu, eager to push his protégé Kensuke Sasaki above everyone else, downgraded the junior heavyweight members to mere jobbers for the heavyweights. Otani protested and was sent abroad to bulk up. Returning in 2001 as a full-fledged heavyweight, Otani challenged Sasaki for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but failed. Pro Wrestling Zero-One/Zero-1 Max/Zero1 (2001–present) He then joined Shinya Hashimoto in creating their own promotion, Pro Wrestling Zero1, where he became one of the top stars after Hashimoto's departure in 2004 and subsequent death. During the company's relaunch following Hashimoto's death it was renamed to Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX. In ZERO1 he formed a tag team with Masato Tanaka called Emblem; Team Emblem (as they were later known) would appear in the US promotion Ultimate Pro Wrestling, and include Keiji Sakoda. This tag team has formed, disbanded, and reformed numerous times during Otani's time in ZERO1. EMBLEM would go on to win the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (ZERO1's top Tag Team Title Belt) two times. (Otani has held that title 4 times) Otani has won ZERO1's annual round-robin tournament the Fire Festival three separate times (2001, 2002, 2005). On January 22, 2006, Otani defeated Steve Corino for the AWA Superstars of Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship. On December 24, 2007 it was announced by ZERO1's parent company FIRST ON STAGE that Otani would become the President of ZERO1. Otani took office officially on January 23, 2007, replacing previous President Yoshiyuki Nakamura who became Director of FIRST ON STAGE. He defeated Yuji Nagata on February 27, 2009, to win the World Heavyweight Championship. On January 4, 2013, at Wrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome, Otani made a special return to New Japan, when he replaced an injured Daichi Hashimoto in a tag team match, where he and Keiji Mutoh were defeated by Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima. Beginning in September 2015, Otani downgraded himself back to the junior heavyweight division, proclaiming that the division had "lost its way" and "needed more heart". On September 23, he reformed his junior heavyweight team with Tatsuhito Takaiwa and defeated NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Champions Takuya Sugawara and "brother" YASSHI to win the titles, the team's fourth tag team title overall and their first in 15 years. On October 11 Otani defeated Minoru Tanaka (who had defeated him and Takaiwa in 2000, along with Koji Kanemoto, to end their second IWGP junior tag reign) to win both the Zero1 International and NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championships. On Febuary 3, 2017 Otani lost the Zero1 International and NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championships to Kotaro Suzuki. On May 12 Otani and Takaiwa defeated Minoru Tanaka and Koji Kanemoto to won the NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Champions in which he and Takaiwa lost the titles on May 21 to Ikuto Hidaka and Takuya Sugawara. In wrestling *'Finishing moves' **Bridging dragon suplex **''King Cobra Clutch'' (Bridging cobra clutch or a cobra clutch with bodyscissors) **''Spiral Bomb'' (Spinning sitout powerbomb) *'Signature moves' **Facewash **Release German suplex **Release dragon suplex **Springboard into either a DDT or a spinning wheel kick Wrestlers trained *Daichi Hashimotohttp://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=605&page=14 *Medianoche Championships and accomplishments *'HUSTLE' **Hustle King Hashimoto Memorial Six-Man Tag Tournament (2006) – with Tadao Yasuda & Masato Tanakahttp://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/japan/hustle/tournaments.html#sixman *'New Japan Pro Wrestling' **IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Tatsuhito Takaiwa **J-Crown (1 time) **NWA World Welterweight Championship (2 times) **UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times) **UWA World Welterweight Championship (1 time) **WCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) **WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **Super Grade Junior Heavyweight Tag League (1994) – with Wild Pegasus **One Night Eight Man Tag Team Tournament (1994) – with El Samurai, Gran Hamada and Great Sasuke *'Pro Wrestling Zero1' **AWA Superstars of Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **International Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Yuki Ishikawa (1), Masato Tanaka (2), Akebono (1), Takao Omori (1), and Kamikaze (1) **NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Tatsuhito Takaiwa **NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **Fire Festival (2001, 2002, 2005, 2010http://www.puroresumission.com/tournaments/zero1_firefestival.html) **Furinkazan (2009) – with Akebono *'Premier Wrestling Federation' **PWF Universal Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Masato Tanaka *'Premium' **Yuke's Cup Tag Tournament (2008) – with Hiroyoshi Tenzan *'Pro Wrestling Illustrated' **PWI ranked him #'125' of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 **PWI also ranked him #'42' of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Tatsuhito Takaiwa in 2003 *'Wrestle Association "R"' **WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tatsuhito Takaiwa *'Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards' **Best Technical Wrestler (1999) **Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Tatsuhito Takaiwa *'Real Japan Pro Wrestling' **RJPW Legend Championship (1 time) 1The championship was won in Tokyo, Japan as part of an interpromotional card between New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling. References Category:NJPW Roster Category:NJPW Dojo Category:Pro Wrestling ZERO1 Roster Category:Wrestlers Category:BATT Category:Sword Army